With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

Drink a glass of hard cider to William Henry Harrison

If you want to break the boredom of a late winter Sunday, you could raise a cup of cheer to the memory of President William Henry Harrison, the nation's ninth president, who was sworn into office 171 years ago today.

I'm also certain the details of Harrison's brief tenure as the nation's chief executive — he is better known as an Indian fighter (the Battle of Tippecanoe) and a general in the War of 1812 — are not on the tip of everyone's tongue.

The one thing everyone knows about Harrison is the catchy presidential campaign slogan "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too," when Harrison was the Whig Party candidate in the 1840 presidential election with his running mate, John Tyler.

But who cares if Harrison shares presidential obscurity with the likes of Martin Van Buren, Zachary Taylor, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Rutherford B. Hayes, and his grandson, Benjamin Harrison? It's still an excuse for a party today.

Get out the cider. (More about that later.)...

Read entire article at Baltimore Sun